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The O's A+ rotation crunch


wildcard

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The first half is over for full A and A+ leagues. Promotions for those that have done well should be at hand.   But the O's have 10 starters that all belong in the A+ rotation at this point.

Hall, Hanifee, Baumann, Lebron, and Knight have not done enough at A+ ball to deserve promotions.  They need more time at that level.  Sedlock has done well enough for a promotion but he has been slowed by an injury.  He is due back after the AS break and well probably need a few more starts in Frederick to show he is over the injury and ready for Bowie.

Additionally Rodriguez, Rom, Peralta and Fenter have all pitched well enough at full A Delmarva to earn  promotions.    That's 10 starter who should be a Frederick.  They can stretch the rotation to 6 but not 10.   

Promoting starters through the minor league system is one of the keys to the O's rebuild.   If Rodriguez and Rom were to pitch a half season a A+, AA and AAA they would be ready for the Majors by 2021.   O's management can't count on their progression being that fast but on the other hand they don't want to hold them back either.

Just the top ranked prospects are not the only ones that need to be promoted when they show they are ready.   John Means has showed that any prospect that is showing well could be  part of the O's future.  So a guy like Peralta could blossom given the opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how Elias handles these 10 pitchers in the 2nd half.

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Don’t underestimate Lebron. Some of the college arms and older guys should be pushed, if anyone has to be.

 

Our AAA and Major league rotations leave a LOT to be desired, so this will likely not be a long term “problem” as these guys inevitably get pushed and their flaws pop up

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1 hour ago, RZNJ said:

I suspect that everyone in the current Delmarva rotation stays there until the end of July.  The one pitcher you didn't mention, Vespi, might be the first promoted.  

 

Peralta has walked 14 in his last 24 IP and that's over 5 starts so he's not going deep in games.   Let the kid work on whatever he's working on down there.   Promote him now and he's going 3 innings per game at Frederick and not working on his secondary pitches.   Same argument I had about Baumann.    If you want to give up on him as a starter, then sure, promote him and make him a reliever.   Otherwise, let him stay where he is and DEVELOP.    

Nick Vespi's last 5 starts.   30 IP, 19 hits, 11 walks, 37 strikeouts.   So he's averaging 6 innings per start and not walking a lot of people while still striking people out.   That's my next man up and, I'm guessing, Elias's next man up.   

Rom and Rodriguez have earned promotions but this year as about managing their workload, developing, and staying healthy.   It's not about seeing have fast they can advance through the system.

This is Fenter's first full healthy year.   Same argument as Peralta.   It's his first year of success and he's still working on stuff too.   Everyone wants to promote them because they aren't 19 or 20.  After walking 20 in his first 38 innings, Fenter has had two appearances (8 IP) in a row without a walk.  I'd like to see that kind of control/command continue for awhile.   I think Elias leans towards keeping all of these guys down there for the whole year except for Vespi.     I do agree that Sedlock is really the only one who has truly earned a promotion to Bowie from Frederick so that leaves Baumann, Hall, Haniffee, and Knight pretty much set in that rotation.   I don't think Lebron is blocking anyone.   However, that only leaves one spot.   VESPI.

I notice that you are making your case on the last 5 games for several pitchers instead on the whole season.   SSS.   I am not saying that is the wrong approach.  Just found it interesting.

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4 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Hello, Pot!

Actually, Peralta and Fenters walk totals are poor for the full season.  I'm making a case for Vespi being the first promotion, partly on his last 5 games over those two.  I'm trying to guess what Elias and gang are thinking.  So my arguments are kind of what I think they are looking at as well.

Another argument for Vespi is that he has a full season as a dominant reliever in Low A under his belt in addition to his hot streak of starts.

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13 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Another argument is that he's your boy! ;)

True, I’m trying to be aware of the rarity of a pitcher who throws cutters as their primary pitch making it though. I was also pretty disappointed that his velocity didn’t really tick up in relief last year, kinda screwed up the future profile I had in mind.

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On 6/17/2019 at 12:41 PM, sportsfan8703 said:

Just seems like there are issues with a bunch of guys in A+.  Innings limit issues for Hall and Sedlock.  It's probably sink or swim time for Lebron.  I don't think Baumann would be too aggressive of a promotion either.  

Why sink or swim with Lebron?  We just got him, he is an all star, and has had some dominant starts...

 

what do you Expect?

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18 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I'll play. 1) Rodriguez. 2)Rom 3) Peralta  4) Fenter 5) Vespi

Honestly, I think the odds are very poor for 3-5 and could probably put them in any order.  I'm guessing Vespi has the best "pitch ability", Peralta the best arm/potential, and Fenter, I don't know.

Vespi doesn’t have good pitchability or command, just deception and three good distinct breaking balls. A cutter that he throws 86-89mph and is his primary pitch along with a slider and curve. He throws a changeup and 4S fastball (I’ve seen him up to 93 but that was in 2017) on occasion.

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8 hours ago, RZNJ said:

I'll play. 1) Rodriguez. 2)Rom 3) Peralta  4) Fenter 5) Vespi

This list is correct. But just want to add..

Rodriguez...... big gap......Rom..........bigger gap...............Peralta, Fenter .....................................................Vespi

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Pretty sure Elias has basically said that Rodriguez isn't being promoted this year.  He is only 19 years old, and has never pitched a full season of professional baseball before.

Wouldn't surprise me if they shut him down at some point in the summer.

Now if we are applying that standard consistently, it seems like Rom should also fit that exact same mold.  So they might have to wait for '20 for their promotions.

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